beach at sunset

Tonight was amazing on the beach. It was very still and there were only a few others when I arrived having the whole beach to myself after the sun set. Many clouds in the sky obscured the sun most of its setting but made for an incredibly warm sun and brilliant afterglow. I crave days like this and stayed a long time there.

dinner on the beach

I love the juxtaposition of a formal dinner on the beach. We grilled marinated lamb chops, sweet Italian sausage and wild gulf shrimp. Our friends brought ba-ba-ga-noush and taboulleh and we shared a few good bottles of French wine. Our intent was to sit on the beach close to the water's edge, but the premature autumn wind started to cover the place settings with sand before we were unpacked. Luckily we found a small protected clearing at the end of the forest overlooking the water and enjoyed a great dinner followed by fresh apple pie warmed on the grill as the sunset dazzled us more.

more beach visits

This visit was purely for the work out of climbing over the dune but oh, what views!

It's hard to imagine the tranquility of this place but consider a sun soaked beach with the sand and wooden planks warmed from the day, the sounds of the waves pushing to shore and meeting the beach, the wind fingering your hair and gently brushing your face as your clothes hemlines dance around your legs and body, the feel of sand on the bottoms of your feet and the lifting of the weight of the world off your shoulders as your eyes try to understand the beauty of what lies before you.

On the 10th of June, 2002, I came here to watch a sunset and wrote the following:

"Clouds hang on words unspoken, by lips parted but unmoving. They drift as my thoughts and change to be unrecognizable as thoughts forgotten, dreams pushed under realistic minds. They meld together and create an endless color, pulling my seeking mind in, but offering no resolution. My eyes grow tired as I peer into this emptiness, mind clearing as lashes blur my vision."

Climbing up.. the sounds you hear are only the waves rushing to shore, the flip of my flops, and the wind whistling around the microphone of my camera and blowing up my skirt.

going down..

views from the top

bicycle errands

I road my bicycle to the farmer's market today.. decided I needed the ride and it was close enough anyway. It's pleasant enough riding through downtown streets my old race box (the bento box) normally stashed with peanut butter spread bagels and Gu packs now acting as my purse. I found out that a bag full of produce close to 3lbs becomes like 20 the further you carry it! I learned also that turning wheels become like a shredder when the wind blows just right; my front wheel biting through the plastic bag and spitting bits of red leaf lettuce at my shins as a strong western gust pushed the bag into my front wheel. More humorous than alarming really. I was mostly thankful it didn't get stuck and perhaps stopping the wheel suddenly.

Overall it was a great workout, I wasn't tempted to buy more as I had to carry it, and the trip to the farmer's market and healthfood store not only provided a good hour of exercise, but it gave me a great procrastination excuse not to continue cleaning my house.

Well.. back at it.

destination weddings part II

Here comes the bride.. photos from the last wedding I attended, held on the point of Torch Lake where she had spent many months each year of her life, her husband's family vacationing the same year after year in their cottage only seven miles away! It took an on-line dating service and they both living in another city other than they grew up for them to meet. Sweet really.

favorite cycling destination

I cycled to my favorite cycling destination Saturday.. it was warm and sunny with just a little bit of a breeze to make you work hard. Photo and videos from my turn around point, the view is my reward for the 36 mile round trip jaunt. For two miles you get to ride on a bluff overlooking the water. The road fell in 15 years ago when the water was higher so unfortunately one either has to turnaround and bike seven miles just to get to the other side of the 20 foot chasm or you could also trespass on some steep stairs down to the beach and back up carrying your bike as well.

this is Ohio

I drove to Ohio on Thursday and taught a class all day Friday. Its beautiful typical mid west. I'm always surprised to be surprised at how much land is farmed here. I love the huge irrigation systems sprawling over the fields. I like to see them dormant in the winter time and spraying in the summer. Lots of this as I drove in the early evening hours when spraying is typical. One unit had it's end so close to the highway that it was spraying the road. Dangerous to be sure as my car was pummeled with water in the fast lane my wipers having a hard time keeping up with the deluge.

On the 80/90 toll way they've im- plemented new safety technology where they sense the movement of an animal on the highway. They have sensors mounted two feet off the ground that work like your garage door such that if a large animal crosses between the two sensors pointed at each other, the signal is broken triggering a light to flash warning motorists there is an animal on the road. Niether the video nor photo can capture the text unfortunately. These sensors can be placed a half mile apart. I caught a flashing warning sign though saw no animal on the road; perhaps it was just exiting or something else triggered this 'false negative' warning.

"Animal present when flashing"

More information on these new road sensors installed in the early part of our century in many places around the globe; Indiana mentioned on page 10.

In my five hours of traveling I thought of another theory about Ohio drivers and why they love driving in the passing lane so much. On a cross Ohio state trip last summer, I had originally concluded that the bad driving habits of Ohioans was attributable to poor driving instruction in that state which must teach that the following is acceptable if not expected: All lanes can be driven on at any time for as long as you want at any speed. This of course leads to:

• Tailgating

• Driving along side a car in the far left lanes at the same speed for several miles

• Driving in the passing lane all the time

• Slowing speed to match a car to your left when you are about to pass a third slower car

• Not checking your rear view mirror to see if anyone is behind you (when driving super slow in the fast/passing lane)

• Do not let anyone pass you if you're not ready (this might also be attributable to the high number of Nascar fans in the state).

One 'habit' that I noticed more on this road trip however, was that when a car would eventually yield to my passing and merge into the right lane to allow my passage, they would swing almost violently back into the passing lane (at their slower speed) even though no more cars existed in the right lane; ie: there is no one for them to pass, the road empty in front of them apart from my quickly disappearing car.

Now I am prone to think that Ohioans are simply control freaks. If they drive in the passing lane they choose when they are passed. They choose who can pass. They control the frustration level of the car(s) behind them.

Bad driving habits, need of control, or just a sick sense of humor?

driving footage looking at typical fields